Granite City is a city of about 29,054 people in Madison County, Illinois, at 129 m (423 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:15 AM and sets at 6:17 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:40 PM – 6:33 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:18 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 46m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 5:49 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 6:43 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 29m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Granite City
At Granite City the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
Best photo spots near Granite City
32 photo locations lie within 80 km of Granite City. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Natural Arches
Natural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Granite City is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Chapel Hill Beach, about 127 km (79 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapel Hill Beach | Beach | 127 km (79 mi) | 2 |
| Shepard | Ghost Town | 129 km (80 mi) | 2 |
| Bell Mountain Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 135 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Jay Nixon State Park | State Park | 135 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Taum Sauk Lookout Tower | Fire Lookout | 135 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Taum Sauk Mountain State Park | State Park | 136 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Taum Sauk Mountain | Mountain Peak | 136 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Mina Sauk Falls | Waterfall | 137 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:08 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:17 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.3 | 19° |
| April | 2:13 AM – 4:43 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:14 AM – 3:54 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:26 PM – 3:36 AM | 5.2 | 22° |
| July | 10:19 PM – 2:09 AM | 3.8 | 22° |
| August | 9:36 PM – 12:06 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:01 PM | 1.3 | 19° |
| October | 7:52 PM – 8:12 PM | 0.3 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (65%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.